Milking-machine pulsator



May 7, 1929. E. A. FoRsBERG MILKING MACHINE PULSTOR Filed Aug. 30, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet May 7, 1929. E. A. FoRsBERG MILKING MACHINE PULSATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 30, 1927 Patented May 7, 1929.

UNITED STATES nPATENT ;ci)l-`l=l ci:.iy

ERIK AUGUST nonsense, or sTOcKHOLM, SWEDEN, AssiGNon To THE` DE LAvAi. snrAnAfron COMPANY, OE New Yoan, N. Y., A CORPORATION OE NEWJERSEY.

iviInKrNG-MAGHINE runsnroia.

Application filed August 30, 1927, Serial No. 216,360,and1n Sweden VSeptember 17, 1926.

In milking machine pulsators from which pneumatic pulsations are transmitted toward the teats, Vitis known to control the element from which these pulsations emanate by anoscillating fly-wheel mass, .which is suitably connected with a regulating spring` in order to obtain the desired time of oscillation. rIhis fly-wheel mass` reverses said element at certain regular intervals.

Pulsators of this kind have not gone into general use because of certain serious defects. In earlier known `constructions the driving mechanism has been so connected with the oscillating fly-wheel mass that energy 'has l been transmitted to the fly-wheel mass near to the point of reversal of direction of oscillation. In such constructions, variations in the driving mechanism are likely to influence the fiy-wheel mass in such a way asto vary the time of oscillation.

ln certain earlier constructions, the regulating element is so directly connected with the oscillating fly-wheel mass that a certain position of the former always corresponds to a certain position of the'latter. 'Such a construction has the defect that the amplitude of the oscillation must be kept small and the influence Yof the driving mechanism on the time of oscillation is increased.

An application 'filed May 28, 199.7 by J. V. Erling, Serial No. 19d-,911, comprises a pulsator of the above generic type,but embodies structural features that eliminate certain defects therein. The invention is characterized by the rfact that the fly-wheel mass and the regulating element are notl fixedly connected but are so coupled together that the amplitude of the fly-wheel mass `is independent of the movement of the Tegulati ing element. Another feature of the inven- V tion is that the driving mechanism is of such a nature, and soconnected with the fly-wheel mass, that tho driving power is transmitted from the driving` mechanism to the fly-wheel mass only during a part, and a limited part, of the oscillating movement, whereby the iiywheel mass Vnear to the points of reversal will be entirely independent of the driving mechanism.

The present .invention comprises an improvement on the said Erling pulsator and involves, or at least permits, a simplification of construction whereby the pulsator unit may ycomprise merely a fly-wheelzinass and a pneumatically operated piston, each controlling the movement of the other, 'the piston operatingv in a cylinder and controlling airports through which pneumatic pulsations are transmitted to a secondary puls satorV which directlytransmits pulsations to the teat cups. lln the preferred embodiment, the primary pulsator is adapted to maintain,

in the line leading to the secondary pulsator, Y

for the greater part ofthe time, relatively low absolute pressure (conveniently a partial vacuum) interrupted at regular intervals by short puffs of air at a relatively high absolute pressure (preferably air at atmospheric pressure). The invention comprises a number of other features which are fully explained in the description that follows.

Embodiments of the invention are shown Fig. 5 is a detail vsectional view of a modi-V *A hed form of cylinder; and piston.

A cylinder @containing a piston l), isA

provided with ports c, communicating with' a source ofpressuree-mostconveniently the atmosphere. It vis preferred to insertlA `a strainer d to exclude coarse impurities in fthe air. The cylinder is also providedwitli ports c communicating with the interior of the pulsator housing a'. i The housing, through the connection 7, communicates with a vacuum line that connects with a vacuum pump l(not shown). The interior of the housing is, therefore, under a con-y stant-vacuum. The inner endofcylinder a isopen to the interior of thehousing.'k The outer end of the cylinder communicates with aconnection lg leading kto the secondary.

pulsator, which transmits pulsationsdirect` to the teat cup. This secondary pulsator may be of any approved type, as, for eX- aniple, that shown f in theV Leitch Patent No. 1,255,186, dated February 5, 1918.

Piston ZJ is provided with ports-7iy which,

as the piston approaches one end position v (on 'the drawing thelovver), communicate with the cylinder ports c, and which, as the piston approaches the other end position (the upper),communicate with the cylinder ports e.

The cylindrical wall oi cylinder a is flanged at its upper end to provide a stop e' which limits the upward movement of the piston. Piston Z) engages with a connecting rod y' which at its other end is connected with the crank le. The rod j is, however, not secured to the piston b, but-only abuts against the same and is free to follow the crank 7c in a movement `Qjrea'ter than that corresponding to the movement of the. piston Aup to the stop To secure the right engagement between the piston o and the rod j, the lower end ot the latter may carry a loopY m slidable, with sufficient playi,

. along a `guide rod fmsecured to an interior projection on the housing.

Crank may he com'iected, in any suitable manner. with the {ijf-wheel mass j/i, which is actuable by a suitable vtension device so that it will swing: just like the balance in a watch. in order to concentrate a big, effective fly-wheel mass within a small space, it is preferred not to connect crank c directly therewith, but to suitably gear the crank is large gear small gear same thereto. In the drawing, connected with the shaft oi' a wheel n which engages with a wheel, or pinion, oon the hub of the ilywheel mass p. which turns on a shaft q se cured to the housing. Thejlatter is acted upon by a spiral spring i", the inner end of which is secured to the iiy-wheel mass and the outer end of which is secured to an arm fixed in the housing,

The fly-wheel pis suitably provided with wings s, the ian action of which damps the oscillating; movement of the mass.

The operation is as follows:

Assume that at the beginning piston o is in its lowest position, and that crank 7s vis likewise in its lowest position so. that rod j touches, or, at least, is in immediate proximity to, the bottom of the piston. As the spring r should, oicourse, reach its tensiontree position at the same moment as the piston reaches its lowest point, the starting' position mentioned above is to he considered as the natural one.v rihe spring. in other words, has. a tendency to turnthe balance and the paris connected with it towards this position, besides which piston Z), it the parte are arranged as shownon the drawing', will Asink downto its lowest position under the iniiuence ot the force oi gravity.

if, through tube connection f, the interior of the housing,r is connected with a source oi vacuum, itvery rapidly becomes evacuated and the pressure above the piston is reduced,

The lower end of, the vpiston beingunder atmospheric pressure, the'pist-on begins to move upwards. 1When the movement has proceeded so` far that port L passes beyond ports c, communication between the under side of the piston and theatmosphere ceases; there being,` n0 connection to the atmosphere through g, which, as hereinbeiore stated, Vleads toa secondary pulsator oi suitable construction. However, air fills the space below the piston and'in the line to the secondary pulsator and this space is so little enlarged by the completion of the upward movement of the piston that the air confined in such space suiiices, with little expans'on, to continue to drive vthe piston upward against vacuum. As the piston approaches its limit oi' upward movement, ports fr get into communication with ports c, and the air below the piston tiows into the interior of the housingv and escapes through the conne tion j into the vacuum line.. The 'force up; on thepiston now ceases and the movement et the piston rapidly slows down, beine; inaily limited by the stop The crank le has, however, received an impulse o? upward movement, which transmitted to the balance, starts its movement of osciliation in one direction. @wing to the tree connection between piston Z) and crank 7e, the balance continues its movement under the influence ot the received impulse. The

oscillation thus assumes the character 0i the oscillation of a pendulum.

vin the tube connection g and in the iine leading therefrom` to the secon pulsator, vacuumv now prevails. TWhen thebalance has transmitted the received energy Vet motion to spring r, it proceeds, under inriaence of the spring` tension, 'on its reverse Oscillating me ement. `When the balance has come su tion., crank li: and piston o again enpV The piston t is presseddown toward.C low Yst position, whereby ports c airain come into communication. Air atmospheric pressure now iiows in under piston and title the space thereunderas well and in the line to the secondary puisator. By means of the motion-ein ot the halancc, it continues reversel oscillation until the piston is pushed down to the bottomoi the cyiinder. The balance continues its movement in the reverse direction. ri`l1e procedure previously described is now repeated. Vrilho piston pushes the rod and the crank upwards and the haiance receA icient energy to continue its oscillatir-3` nn rement.

A ditiiculty that is encountered to pre- 'vent the oscillations oi' the baiance from veloped by the piston must be greater thanwhat is required to overcome the normai irictional resistance. ance is, as mentioned, provided with the ntly near its middle posi- To this end, the bali i sible,

fan-acting wings s. 'If the impulses of motion are particularly strong, the amplitude ofthe balance will be great andits average speed high, a considerable quantity of energy being consumed by the fly effect or' the wings. Iii, on the contrary, the impulses of motion are feeble, the amplitude ot the bals ance and its average speed will be reduced and the energy consumption will therefore be smaller. This difference in energy consumption between great and small amplitudes can be made quite considerable and corresponds thus to agreat allowable difference in thel energy developed in one stroke. The frequency et the oscillations is, according to well known principles l'or damped oscillations, independent of the amplitude or' the oscillation, wherefore even a rather great difference in motion resistance cannot influence the frequency or' the oscillations. y

As long as the upper face of they piston is under vacuum, the course oi movement will be as described above. Each time the balance passes its middle position and the piston thus is pressed downagainst the bottom of the cylinder, air at atmospheric pressure is admitted under the piston and in the line to the secondary pulsator. As soon asy the middle position. is passed and 'the piston has'nioved a little from its eXtreme position, the communication with the atmosphere is interrupted and the space under the piston and in the line to the secondary pulsa-tor is brought under vacuum. The result is that the line to the secondary pulsator vacuum is under vacuum the greater part ot the time, but that, in each oscillation back and,

forth of the balance, air at atmospheric pressure is, for a relatively short time, admitted to said line. There will thus prevail vacuum interrupted at regular intervals by air pulls of high pressure. These air pulls can be used to regulate the movement oi' the secondary pulsator. y

The mechanism described may be moditled in detail. rIhus, piston Z) and crank 7c may beconnected in any way that allows the crank to continue swinging aiterthe movement ol' the rod has ceased.Y For example, the rod may be secured in iixed relationjto the piston and may be niovably attached to the crank as by a fork. It is also permisalthough it has been found not to be necessary, to 'lacilitate the assumption by the mechanism ot a starting position by arranging a spring tending to convey the piston toward its lowest position; or the crank may beI provided with an overweight tending to direct the piston downward; or the'.

piston or cylinder may be so magnetized as to tend to hold the piston in itslowest position.

The machine above described is, infact,

only one example of different possible emp may be interposedV Abetween the crank and the balance.

In Figs. 3 and l, a" is the cylinder, ZJ the piston, c the cylinder ports connecting with atmosphere, e thecyhnder ports connecting with the interior of the housing, f the connection to vacuum, g the connection to the secondary pulsator, 7L the piston ports, t the crank pin iiXed directly on the ily-wheel mass p', fr the spring, u a ball bearing roller engaging the end of piston b', and o a ball bearing roller on a shaft g secured to the housing and within the hub of the ily-wheel mass. v l

In Fig. 5 there is shown a somewhat modified arrangement of the cylinder and the piston. The cylinder a2 is by means of a cover ,1/ shut oil' from the interior of the pulsator housing, whichthus need not be put under vacuum. I The vacuum line f2 is instead coupled direct to the upper part of' the cylinder a2. Ports c2 and 7i? correspond to ports c and L of Figs. l and 2. The recess e-g'in the 'cylindeivvall takes the place of port e of Figs. l and 2, i

This modification shown in Fig. 5 hasv the advantage that the lbalance can kwork under full atmospheric pressure, lthe necessary damping thereby being more easily obtained.. f

It should be understood that word cylinder is used in its technical, and not in its mathematical, sense. Though, in practice,r

a cylindrical shape is preferred, an-equivalent rmember of any shape may be used.-

Thus, for example, the cylinder may have the shape 'of' a circle section, 1n which a radial piston 1s oscillating to and fro, as in they application filed May-28, 1927, by S. J;

Erling, Serial No. 194,911. In fact, any arrangement by means ot which atmospheric pressure and vacuum, or any equivalent relatively highand low absolute pressures are,

in vther way mentioned in the desc ip'tion, 'alternately admitted to a chamber, limited in somekway or' other by ,a movable wall, would be an equivalent oit thespeciiic construction herein disclosed.

As pointed out above, the arrangement ot the pulsator is preferably such that it should automatically start as soon as it is connected with vacuum. It may, however,

be possible, with some embodiments oi my invention, especially it vacuum is let on' particularly slowly, that the first impulse lWill not become sutliciently strong to start the pulsator. ln order' to make possible, in such case, the starting of the pusator, it may be advisable to provide the pulsatjoi with a special starting device. ,ik simple device for this purpose may comprise a metal rod extending` through a hole in the outer Wall of the pulsator, the rod being, on Vthe outside of the housing, provided with a push bui'- ton and pressed outwards by means of a spring. The inner end of this rod, on being pushed in, will strike against a nose on the crank, the crank thereby being; moved aside so that a suilicient impulse oi' "motion ob` tained. Villen releasing` the button, the rod Will return to its orip-inal position and give free passage for the crank to swing' in a normal Way.

Having noW what I claim and ters Patent is: n

l. A milking machine pulsator comprising a loiv piess re air line, an air pulsation line, a cylinder, a piston therein providing at one side thereof a chamber in communication with the pulsation line, the other side of the piston being in communication with the low pressure line, there being ports in the cylinder communicating respectively With the low pressure-line and with a source of relatively high pressureand a port in the piston adapted to connect said chamber alternately with high pressure and lovv pressure, an oscillatory flywheel mass, and motion transmission means between the'piston and Hy-Wheelinass adapted, in the movement ot' the piston from the position at which said chamber is under .high pressure to the position at Which said chamber is under lov.T pressure, to transmit an impulse oi motion to the fly-Wheel mass.

2. A milking machine pulsator compris` inf; a low pressure vair line, a pulsation air line, a cylinder, a piston therein oneside ot which is in communication with the low pressure line and the other side of which is in communication with the pulsa-tion line, ports adapted in diilierent positions of the piston to connect the pulsation line respectiI .1y with the low-pressure air line and with air at relatively high pressure, a spring-actuated oscillatory ily-Wheel ma? means by which the increment ot the piston in. one direction is transmitted to the fly-wheelmass to positively more it in one direction and by which fully described my invention,

desire to protect by Letminime eating` with the space at the other side of the piston, a spring-actuated oscillatory ily- Wheel mass, movement transmission means between the piston and the flywheel mass by means of which each positively actuates the other, the ily-WheelV mass being movable in one direction under its owi'i momentum substantially beyond the point to which itl Vthat the pulsation line is under lon7 pressure during the greater part of the time and is und Vxr high pressure at regular and relatively short intervals.

il, ier pulsator for milking machines which comprises a low pressure line, an air pulsation line, a'cylinder, a piston therein adapted in one position to connect the pulsation line with a source oit higher pressure and in anther position to connect the pulsation line with the loW pressure line, said piston being; pneumatically operable from one position to the other, an oscillatory fly-Wheel massn and motion transmitting means bet-Ween the iiy Wheel mass and'piston adapted to transmit the motion of the piston, when so pneumatieally actuated, to the ily-Wheel mass to oseiln late it in one direction and to tran'nit the reverse motion oi the flyovheel piston to reverse it. Y

'5. A pulsator for milking machine which comprises a low pressure line an puisation line, a cylinder, apiston therein adapted in one position to connect the pulsa line With a source of higher preneur and i, another position 'to connect the pulsa i. line with the low pressure line, said piston bein-s' pneumatically operable from one p Ation to the other, and a loose conne( on between the fly-Wheel mass and piston at the piston, ywhen pneum; .Y to nieve the ily-Wheel mass in olie dite' and adapted to cause the ily-wheel in in its opposite more# rent reverse h-e piston and adapted to allow lie Aliy-wlvel min-is move independently of the piston except duringl an approximately middle part o its movement in each direction.

(l. A pulsator in accordance with'claim in which the motion transmitting` means between the piston and the fly-Wheel mass is lll-3 lll) loose so that said elements act on each other only within a relatively small space near ESQ whereby the `time of oscillation may be subu stantially independent ofthe strength of the motion impulse.

7. A pulsetor in accordance with claim l in which the ily-wheel mass comprises wings acting as u fan to damp the movement or the which is in communication with the low" pressureline and the other side of which is in communication with Jthe pulsetion line, there being ports in the piston and cylinder adapted in different positions oit the piston to connect the pulsuition line respectively with the low pressure line and with nir et relatively high pressure, :in oscillatory ilywlieel mess, and motion transmission means between the piston and fly-wheel mess adepted7 in the movement of the piston from the position at which said chamber is under liioli pressure to the position et which said chamber is under'iow pressure, to transmit sn impulse of motion to the fly-wheel mass.

9. A milking machine pulsetor comprising a cylinder, a piston, a low pressure line com- .transmission means lbetween the piston and the iiywheel mass byl means of which each positively actuates the other, the fly-Wheel mass being` movable in one direction under 'its own momentum substantially beyond the point to which it is moved by seid piston and transmission means and adapted to actuate said transmission means to reverse the piston eiter the liy-Wlieel mess has completed a. substantiel part of its movement of reverszil, ineens by which the piston, in its movement to ectiiate tlio ly-wlieel mass, is arrestedv before the movement oil the flywheel iiinss is completed', and ports adapted in opposite positions of the piston to Vconneet the space communicating with seid pulsation line respectively with the low pres sure line and with ai source of higher pressure.` y

In testimony of which invention, I haver hereunto set my hend, etk Stockholm,

Sweden, on this 12th dey of'August, 1927.

, Emir AUGUST nonsense. 

